sobibneb



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. E; SGRIBNER.

TELEPHONE SWITCH.

No. 284,909. r entd-Sept. 11, 1883.

Fi i

Aids e at EZIUb Bin AL W 6 ia/Lz wzfi w W *5; 3:5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No Model.)

0. 3.. SCRIBNER. TELEPHONE SWITCH.

PatentnedSept. 11, 1883.

Em M mm UNIT D STATES PATENT CHARLES SORIBNEB, oE' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To THE WEST RN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TELEPHONE-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,909, dated September 11, 1883.

Application filed March 13, 1883. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. SCRIENEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Thefinvention herein described is an improvement upon the outfit usually provided at a subscribers station; and it consists in a pulley adapted to change the position of the switch-lever automatically as the telephone is taken down for use or laid aside after conversation, so that the telephone may be brought into the main circuit and the resistance of the bell removed therefrom during conversation, and so that at other times the resistance of the v telephone may be removed from the circuit and the bell included therein. Several different automaticjdevices have been devised for doing this work. The gravity-switch and my automatic switch, patented October 25, 1881, are largely used.

My p ulleyswitch herein described is wholly distinct in principle and mode of operation from any of the automatic switches heretofore used that I have seen. The pulleyis mounted upon a fixed shaft, which is screw-threaded. The pulley is tapped out to correspond with the thread on the shaft, and is provided with a groove about its periphery, in which the pulley-cord is wound, one end being attached to the pulley and the other end to the receivingtelephone. A spiral spring, preferably of sufficient tension to sustain the weight of the telephone, holds the wheel of the pulley in po- 40 sition, so as to direct the circuit of the main line through the signal-bell when the telephone is not being used. XV hen the telephone is taken up and placed at the ear of the user,

.the cord is unwound, and the wheel is thus 5 turned upon the shaft, and thus moved longitudinallythereon. By this longitudinal movement the switch-lever or key is carried into contact with the contact-point of the telephone, which is thus brought into circuit while the .nections.

contact-point of the bell is separated from the switch-lever, thus removing the resistance of the bell while the telephone is in use.

Any well-known call-box circuit may be used with my switch.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front eleva- 5 5 1 tion of a call-box provided with my pulleyswitch. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line x 00, showing the circuits in detail. Fig. 3 is a detailed view illustrative of the main features of this invention. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line y y in Fig. 3.

Like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference throughout the several views.

The pulley-wheel Ais mounted upon the threaded shaft B within the case of the callbox. This wheel A is preferably provided, with a groove about its periphery. The cord 0 is wound about the wheel, one end of the cord being attached to the telephone-receiver D and the other to the pulley A.

The spiral spring E, which is preferably of just a little more than sufficient tension to sustain the weight of the telephone, is c011- nected to the hub of the wheel A and to the case of the box at F, as shown.

The hub G of the wheel is preferably of metal.

The switch-lever H may be of any suitable form, and adapted to make the necessary connections when moved from one position to another. It is preferably made in the form of a spring secured at one end to the box, as shown, and adapted to rest against the wheel. A, so as to be moved by said wheel. The con- 8 5 tacts may be arranged in any well-known way, so as to make the proper connections in the box. I have shown the old open-circuit con- It is evident, however, that the shunt-circuit system may be used,in which Case 0 the wires are run so that the bell or telephone may be shunted by closing different contactpoints without completely cutting out either instrument or breaking the continuity of the main line. As shown in the drawings, the 5 main line from the central office is connected permanently with the switch-lever H.

The electro-magnet of the telephone and secondary of induction-coil are included in. a branch line connected with contact-point K. The electro-magnet of the bell is included in another branch, which is connected with contact-point L. A third contact-point, M, is provided for closing the circuit of the local battery through the transmitter and primary of induction-coil, as is usual.

Any well-known Siemens armature or generator may be used for signaling.

The mode of operation of my pulleyswitch is briefly as follows: A subscriber upon being called takes down his telephone D, and in so doing unwinds the cord from the pulley A,

which is thus turned upon the threaded shaft. V

A longitudinal movement is thus imparted to the wheel, and the wheel imparts motion to the lever H, which is thus separated from point K and closed against contact-point L. The circuit of themain line is thus completed through the telephone while the bell is either cut out or short-circuited, so that its resistance is removed from the main line while the telephone is being used. It will thus be seen that the switch is held in position by the user during conversation Vhen the subscriber is through talking, he lays aside or hangs up the telephone, and then the spring connected with thewheel brings the said wheel back to its first position,

cutting out the telephone and bringing the bell into circuit.

I prefer to use a flat metallic switch-lever, which is flexible, like the lever H. In this way the longitudinal movement of the wheel on the shaft is not arrested as the lever comes against the strap L as it is when I use a rigid lever.

Since the user stands in front of the transmitter, he must unwind enough cord to change the circuits before he can place the telephone to his ear.

The flexible conductingcord ofthe telephone may be used upon the pulley. I prefer, however, to use a cord which is stronger and more durable than the conducting-cords which are in general use. I have therefore provided the cord E, as shown, for attaching the telephone to the pulley.

1 I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a switch-lever, of a pulley-wheel mounted upon a screw -threaded shaft, a spring, and a cord, whereby the wheel -is moved longitudinally in opposition to the force of said spring, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the main circuit,

of two derived circuits containing a signal-bell and a" telephone, respectively, a switch-lever adapted to make contact alternately with two contact-points, forming the terminals of said derived circuits, a cord attached to the telephone and wound about a pulley adapted to move longitudinally upon its shaft and operate said switch-lever, and a spring which normally holds the cord wound about the pulley, whereby the currents are changed automatically on the removal of the telephone, substancuit containing a telephone and contact-point therefor, a second derived circuit containing abell an d contact-point therefor, and the flexible switch-lever adapted to be separated from one of said contactpoints and closed to the other'one of said contact-points by the longitudinal movement of said pulley upon its shaft, whereby the resistance of the bell is antomatically removed from the circuit when the telephone is taken down and the cord unwound from the pulley, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with the pu11ey-wheel, of a cord for turning the same, a spring, a fixed screw-threaded shaft, a circuit-changing piece, and two or more contactpoints, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with a movable switchlever, of a pulley, a spring, and a telephone having a cord attached thereto, said cord being normally wound about said pulley by the action of the said spring, and said pulley being adapted to move the said switch-lever by the drawing off of the said cord, substantially as specified' In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 1st day of March, A. I). 1883.

CHARLES- SORIBNER.

IVitnesses:

PAUL A. STALEY, GEORGE P. BARTON. 

